SEO has always been an evolving practice, but in the last few years, it’s changed more than ever before. Organic search rankings are becoming more competitive, and Google is constantly testing new algorithms to make them even more difficult to crack. These changes mean that if you want to stay on top of the SERPs (search engine results pages), you need a strategy that adapts quickly and keeps up with these changes — which is where split tests come in!

What Is an SEO Split Test?

To put it simply, an SEO split test is when you run different versions of a page and compare the results to see which one performs better. For example, if you have two versions of your home page that are identical except for one element (such as a headline or image), then you can compare how they perform individually and with each other.

• Run new tests to keep tabs on what’s working and what’s not
• Use proven tactics to create pages that get high rankings

Why You Should Be Running an SEO Split Test

You probably already know that Google’s search results are continually changing. This can be frustrating because you always feel like you must be running an SEO campaign, but there’s also something exciting about it — you never know what change might help your SEO rankings.

If you want to optimize your site for maximum traffic, then an SEO split test should be part of your strategy. A split test lets you test different elements of your website without making any changes to it.

How To Set Up Your First Split Test

1. Set up your test parameters. The first step is to determine the overall goal of your split test and the metrics you’ll use to measure that goal. This could be anything from adding several new email subscribers to increasing sales by 10%.
2. Set up your goal-tracking code. You can set this up inside Google Analytics or any other analytics platform that you’re currently using or on your website itself (in which case it should be a JavaScript tag). Ideally, though, have both!
3. Create audience lists for each variation of the ad and make sure they’re in separate campaigns (or if they’re not, then at least separate ad groups). You may want to include different audiences based on location and demographics here as well so that when one changes over time, another doesn’t get affected by it accidentally. For example, if we were doing this for an eCommerce store selling women’s clothes online, we might have separate audiences called ‘Women 18-29’ versus ‘Women 30-60+’. The same goes for conversion goals—setting them up two different ways will help ensure accuracy later on when measuring results since they won’t affect each other directly.

What Makes a Good Topic For A Split Test?

Before you start creating your split test, it’s important to have a good idea of what you want to test. Here are some questions that can help you decide on the best topic:

• Do I want to test headlines?
• Would it be better if I tested different images?
• Do my landing pages need improvement?

Asking yourself these questions will help ensure that whatever topic you pick is relevant and measurable. You’ll be able to answer them more easily once you’ve chosen a topic for your split test!

How To Run an Effective Split Test Campaign With Google Analytics & Optimizely?

When you’re running a test, there are two types of data you can collect: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative data is more subjective, while quantitative data is more objective.

Qualitative data is a way to get feedback from your customers about what they like and don’t like about a particular page or product. For example, if you want to know what people think about the copy on your home page, then ask them! One way to do this would be with an exit survey or visitor chat box on your site that asks users why they left without converting into a lead or sale (and/or whether they found what they were looking for). In this case, it might be useful to ask whether someone was confused by any specific part of the page—and then rewrite it accordingly so that others aren’t lost as well!

Quantitative data is a way to measure how well your lead generation campaign is performing. For example, if you want to know what percentage of visitors are becoming leads on your site, then provide an opt-in form that asks for their name and email address in exchange for something.

Conclusion

Split testing can be a valuable tool for any company, but it’s important to understand the basics before diving in. There are many ways to run an effective split test, so we recommend starting small with one or two tests and working your way up from there. You can use Google Analytics and Optimizely together to track all of your results, but keep in mind that some platforms offer more robust features than others when it comes down to data collection and analysis.

Your website is the cornerstone of your marketing strategy. Agency Partner Interactive can help you optimize it so that it can rank #1 on Google for relevant keywords and drive more traffic to your business. The time to get started is now! Contact us today for a free consultation!